The Man Who Raffles Left Behind: William Farquhar (1774-1839)

Ernest C. T. Chew, Associate Professor of History, National University of
Singapore

Ernest Chew has graciously shared this essay, which first
appeared in Raffles Town Club, vol. 7 (April-June 2002), with readers of the
Postcolonial Web. It appears with his permission and that of the Raffles Town
Club, which retains the copyright.

4. Farquhar's Contributions to Singapore

Without entering into the controversy of 'who did more' in the
founding of the British settlement, it is clear that while the objectives and
initiatives were from Raffles, the actual operations and implementation were
left to Farquhar, in his new capacity as British Resident and Commandant of
Singapore. It was Farquhar who was more familiar with the Malay authorities,
and who had to provide the main administrative direction for this joint "Anglo-Malay
condominium", as it has been termed by Christopher Wake.

While Raffles described the new settlement as his Child and his
Colony, in paternal and proprietory fashion, it was really Farquhar who had
to play the role of mother and nurse to the infant during its first four years.
He had also to combine the political, diplomatic and administrative roles of
Resident with the military functions of Commandant, protecting and defending
the settlement against Dutch retaliation. Moreover, his main task was to ensure
the economic survival and growth of this East India Company "factory",
to attract traders to this free port, and to arrange the allocation and distribution
of land among the various communities on the island. Given Raffles' infrequent
visits to Singapore, and fitful supervision from Bencoolen, Farquhar was left
with the heavy burdens of making as well as implementing policies, until Raffles'
final and longest visit of October 1822 to June 1823, during which the differences
between them came to a head, over such matters as land allocation, gambling,
and slavery. Farquhar was replaced by another Scotsman, Dr
John Crawfurd, in April 1823.